Hydro-massage appliance



Jan. 19, 1960 c. MUNROE 2,921,579

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United States Patent HYDRO-MASSAGE APPLIANCE Clarence R. Munroe,Roseburg, Oreg.

Application February 28, 1958, Serial No. 718,230

Claims. (Cl. 128-66) This invention relates to a hydro-massage homeappliance for use in bath tubs and the like and adapted to be suppliedwith air under pressure by a domestic vacuum cleaner.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a light-weight,practical, and elficient device of this kind which is composed ofseparable sections which are adapted to be separated and made into arelatively small, compact package, so that the device is suitable foruse in home bath tubs and the like and presents no problems of storagein the bath rooms or elsewhere in homes and small apartments, and sothat the device can be economically shipped and merchandised.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the characterindicated above which, apart from its light weight and small bulk whencollapsed, provides means for more elfectively treating, for stimulationor sedation, the spinal area of a person reclining on the device in abath tub, which prevents closing of air holes in the device which, inother such devices, are usually partially or wholly occluded or closedby the pressure of the body of the person thereon.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of thecharacter indicated which has a filter-equipped valve fitting forconnection to the air output of a domestic vacuum cleaner, which servesto purify the air as it is fed to the device and to provide easy meansfor regulating the amount of air introduced into the device forpredetermining the hydrotherapeutic effects of the device.

Other important objects and advantageous features of the invention willbe apparent from the following description and the accompanyingdrawings, wherein, for purposes of illustration only, a specific form ofthe invention is set forth in detail.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a contracted top plan view of a device of the invention,showing the sections thereof separated;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal section taken through a bath tub,showing said device installed and supporting a person in water therein;

Figure 4 is a vertical transverse section taken on the line 3-3 ofFigure 2;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary vertical longitudinal section, taken on theline 5-5 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical transverse section taken onthe line 6-6 of Figure 3; and

Figure 7 is a horizontal section taken on the line 7-7 of Figure 6.

Referring in detail to the drawings, wherein like numerals designatelike parts throughout the several views, the illustrated devices,generally designated 10, comprises an elongated substantiallyrectangular form composed of a center section 12, and end sections 14and 16, respectively.

The center section 12 is of flat tubular form and comprises spacedcoincinding top and bottom webs 18 and 20 of sheet material, such asrubber or plastic of sufiicient rigidity to maintain the transverselyand upwardly bowed contour seen in Figure 4, when a person is recliningupon the device. The section 12 has closed at its ends by end walls 22and 24, and has substantially threequarter side walls 26 which havelower portions 28 depending below the bottom web 20 to serve as feet forengaging the bottom 30 of a bath tub 32 near the bath tub side walls 34.

The side walls 26 of the center section 12 define slots 36 Where theyjoin the top and bottom webs 18 and 20, as shown in Figures 4 and 5,which extend between the end walls 22 and 24. Secured in the ends of theside walls 26 at and traversing and extending beyond the end wall 24 arerigid coupling nipples 38.

As shown in Figure 4, the lower web 20 of the section 12 is continuousfrom side to side of the section, but the top web 18 is discontinuousalong the longitudinal center line of the section so as to present freelongitudinal inner edges 40 which are transversely spaced from eachother at an appropriate distance, such as two inches. Longitudinal walls42 are secured to the bottom web 20 and to the longitudinal edges 40 toform sides of a longitudinal central channel 44 in the section 12, whichhas a bottom web portion 46 extending between the walls 42/ The Walls 42have therein longitudinally spaced air holes 48 and the top Web 18 hastherein one or more rows of longitudinal spaced air holes 50, spacedlaterally outwardly from the channel 44.

The end section 14 is similar to the center section 12, except that theouter end thereof is closed by a threequarter circular end wall 51 likethe side wall 26 and in communication therewith, the joining of the sidewalls 26 with the outer end Wall 51 being curved to provide roundedcorners 52. Secured in the inner ends of the side walls 26 are inwardlyprojecting coupling nipples 54 arranged to be telescoped into the-openends 56 of the side walls 26 of the center section 12, so as to abut therelated end walls of the sections 12 and 14, as shown in Figure 5.

The end section 16 is generally similar to the end section 14, exceptthat the inner ends 56 of its side walls are open to telescopicallyreceive the nipples 38 of the center section 12, and there extendsbetween the outer ends of its side walls a rigid transverse tube 58which are curved corner ends 60 joined to and communicating with the endwalls. The tube 58 is spaced outwardly from the outer end wall of thesection 16, and has rising from its center a vertical air tube 62,having a downturned goose neck 64 on its upper end.

The goose neck 64 has a lower end 66 which is telescoped onto anupstanding coupling tube 68 on the upper end of an enlarged diameter,vertical cylindrical housing 70 which 'has on its lower end a dependingcoupling tube 72, to which is connected a hose 74 leading from the air 4discharge of a domestic vacuum cleaner (not shown).

The housing 70, serving both as an air filter and as an air regulatingvalve, for the device 10, comprises an upper section 76 rotatablytelescoped onto a lower section 78. An air disinfecting disc 80 issecured across the interior of the lower section 78, and an airfiltering disc 82 is secured across the interior of the upper section76.

The side wall 84 of the upper housing section 76 is discontinuous, asindicated at 86, for exposing or uncovering at one time, one or more ofa circumferential row of air-valving holes 88 provided in the side wall90 of the lower housing section 78 by rotating the upper section, andthereby regulating the amount and pressure of outside and vacuum cleanerair introduced into the device 10 through the air tube 62, with thesections 12, 14 and 16 assembled.

Air coming out of the air holes 48 in the channel side Walls 42 reachesthe spinal area of a person reclining upon the device 10, in anunobstructed and undiminished manner, since the body is supported on theupper section web out of contact with the interior of the channel.

With the upwardly bowed arrangement of the device, the central partthereof is spaced above a tub bottom 30, and the central part of thedevice can flex downwardly so as to be more comfortable for a personreclining thereon. Further, where the width of the device is dimensionedso that the side walls 26 of the sections are close to opposed walls ofsuch as a bath tub 32, so that downward flexion of the devicespreads thesection side walls 26 away from each other and into engagement with suchopposed tub walls, so as to secure the device in position in the tub.

While there has been shown and described herein a preferred form of theinvention, it is to be understood that the invention is not necessarilyconfined thereto, and that any change or changes in the structure of andin the relative arrangement of components thereof are contemplated asbeing within the scope of the invention as defined by the claimsappended hereto.

What is claimed is:

1. A hydro-massage appliance comprising an elongated rectangular formcomposed of separably connected center and end sections, said sectionsbeing flat closed tubular bodies comprising spaced upper and lower webs,side walls, and end walls, the upper walls being perforated, couplingnipples on ends of sections at the opposite sides thereof engaged inopenings provided in end walls of sections, an air tube on an end of asection and communicating with the interior of such section.

2. A hydro-massage appliance comprising an elongated closed flat hollowform having a bottom web, a top web, and side walls, said side wallsbeing arcuate in cross section and larger in diameter than the thicknessof said form so as to define air slots along the sides of and openingfrom the side walls into the form at the sides thereof, a singlelongitudinal and centered channel formed insaid top web having sideshaving air holes therein fed by air crossing the interior of said formfrom said related arcuate side walls, a transverse air tube at one endof the form, said air tube being connected at its ends to the relatedends of arcuate side Walls.

3. A hydro-massage appliance according to claim 2, wherein said arcuateside walls project below said form to serve as feet for spacing the formon and above a supporting surface.

4. A hydro-massage appliance according to claim 2, wherein said arcuateside walls project below said form to serve as feet for spacing the formon and above a supporting surface, said form being flexible and beingupwardly bowed so as to be downwardly flexible at its center relative toa supporting surface on which the form rests.

5. A hydro-massage appliance comprising first and second end sectionsand a center section, each of said sections being flat hollow closedforms having top and bottom web, end walls, and sidewalls, the sidewalls being arcuate in cross section and larger'in cross section thanthe thickness of the forms and having slots opening into the interior ofthe sections at opposite sides of the sections, a transverse air tubeextending across the end of said second section remote from the centersection and connected at its ends to the arcuate side walls of saidfirst section through the related end wall, means for supplying airunder pressure to said air tube, the other end'wall of the first sectionhaving openings in line with related end Walls, said center sectionhaving coupling nipples in line with its side Walls and extendingthrough one end Wall thereof and removably engaged in the openings ofthe first section, the other end wall of the center section'havingopenings therein in line with related side walls thereof, and the endWall of said second section having coupling nipples in line with itsside walls and removably engaged in the'openings of the center section,and air outlet means on said top web including air holes.

961,365 McCall June 14, 1910 Schwartz May 28, 1957'

